Life Will Go On
by buffyandspikefan
Summary: The TARDIS takes the Doctor to find Rose in the parallel world and won't let him leave until he does. But Rose doesn't remember him and is getting married. What's the Doctor to do? Why break up the bachelorette party at a rather interesting locale...
1. Chapter 1

**Life Will Go On**

**Chapter One**:

The corridors of the TARDIS were silent.

Where once loud rock music or the sound of laughter echoed, there was nothing but the quiet hum of machinery.

He never knew a place could be so quiet.

He never felt so alone as he did in that moment.

No matter how many times he left someone behind, it never got any easier. And this time had been the most difficult.

Mourning what he had lost, the Doctor did the one thing he hadn't done in years.

He slept.

When he awoke, he knew that something wasn't right. He sat up with a start, looking around. The TARDIS' monitor in front of him was blinking, relaying the same message over and over again in Galfreyian script.

_Find Rose Tyler_.

He frowned at the screen. "She's gone."

_Find Rose Tyler_.

"You think I don't want her here? That I wouldn't try if I could…"

_You want her here. I want her here. Find Rose Tyler_.

"Have you not been listening? She's gone to Pete's World. Out of my range, out of your range."

_You dream of her_.

He frowned. "I dream of many things that I have lost. That's why I try not to sleep."

_The Bad Wolf calls out to me_.

"What?" The Doctor leaned forward against the console, staring into the monitor. "What did you say?"

_The Bad Wolf calls out to me. We share a connection_.

"Connection, what connection?"

_I looked into Rose Tyler. And she looked into me_.

And that was when the world turned upside down.

The TARDIS shook as if it would fly apart, knocking the Doctor to the floor. Metal screeched, sirens blared, and the lights went out. The Doctor heard explosions around him, the familiar grinding noise of the TARDIS traveling through time, and then a white flash of light blinded him.

He lay on the floor of the TARDIS, staring up at the ceiling in almost utter darkness. He felt around in his pocket for the sonic screwdriver, and feeling its cool metal under his fingertips, seized it and pushed the button, holding it to the lights.

Nothing happened.

He tried again, but to no avail. Whatever had just happened, it not only knocked the TARDIS' systems offline, but had somehow unsoniced the screwdriver.

Getting to his feet, he noticed the only light in the TARDIS was coming from the monitor.

_Find Rose Tyler_.

"She's the least of our troubles," he muttered, and clicked a few buttons. Seeing the location, he shook his head. "She's not in London anymore, at least, not this London."

But it didn't look like he was going anywhere for the time present. Might as well have a look about, make sure no Daleks escaped the vortex.

He sighed and pushed open the TARDIS' doors.

His jaw dropped open at what lay before him.

One of Pete Tyler's 'Trust Me' signs.

He whirled, looking back at the TARDIS' monitor. "No! No, this can't be happening. This is impossible! We're not supposed to be here, what have you done?"

_Find Rose Tyler._

"Do you have any idea how much damage you've caused? We've ripped a hole in the universe, could have undone all of creation!" He sighed as he felt the anger drain out of him, replaced by exhaustion. "You've become tempermental in your old age." He rubbed a hand absently on the controls. "You've become stubborn, just like her."

_I looked into Rose Tyler and she looked into me. She completes me_.

Realization dawned on him. "Of course! When she opened the time vortex to get you to come back for me on the space station, you two bonded, like we're bonded.

_She completes you_.

"Too right. But we're not supposed to be here, we never should have come here!"

_Find Rose Tyler_.

He shrugged. "Well, so long as we're here. Can't do any more damage."

**Chapter Two**:

He didn't know how he was going to find Rose Tyler, he only knew that the universe had a way of sorting these things out on its own. He didn't worry. The Doctor never worried. He took action, didn't sit around fretting about it.

He found himself walking along the road in the posh district, where Londoners bought jumpers and shoes that cost more than groceries for a family of four for a week. He never understood the sheer wastefulness and selfishness of humans – only concerned for their own needs and damn the consequences the rest of the their race, their planet, and the universe.

And then he saw a flash of blonde hair, a familiar face, and heard the sound of her laughter and for a moment, the rest of the universe could go rot.

She looked so beautiful, sitting at a café table, a cup of tea in front of her, laughing at something the girl across from her had said. She brushed a strand of hair back from her face, a familiar gesture, and nodded, speaking with enthusiasm to her companion. She and her friend were dressed well, like they belonged there amongst the crème de la crème, chatting without a care in the world.

She was happy. She was content. She belonged. It was something he rarely, if ever experienced, and something she never would have experienced if she had kept traveling with him. Did he have the right to intrude, to break up her new life just when she had finally moved on, away from him?

Did he have a choice?

With a sigh, he marched forward, determined to do this as quick and as painless as possible. For the both of them.

She didn't even look up as he approached the table. "…cake is being made by the gorgeous Parisian bakery, they're sending someone to set it up so that's one less thing to worry about…" she trailed off, catching sight of him. His hearts leapt as their eyes locked. "Yes? Can I help you?"

And they fell just as hard. This wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. He thought that she would hug him, babble on excitedly about how he got back, ask where they were going next, not to greet him with such cool indifference. "Rose, I'm so sorry to intrude, but I need your help…"

She looked confused. "Are you the bloke working with Mickey on the black hole parameters? Tell him I can't be bothered with that this week, he knows how hectic things are for me…"

"Honestly, Rose, if they can't spare you now, what are they going to do when you're off for two weeks on your honeymoon tour?" her posh friend asked.

The Doctor's poor mind worked to keep up. "What? Rose, do you not recognize me? It's me! The Doctor!"

"Rose, are you going to therapy? You should have asked me for a recommendation, everyone swears by Doctor Greenwall."

"No, no, Martha, I'm not going to therapy." Rose held up a hand to stop her friend's babbling. She looked at the Doctor, a frown on her face. "You see familiar, I'm sorry, Doctor Who?"

He frowned. "That's not funny. Rose, stop it, it's me. Don't you remember? I took you traveling across the universe, across time and space. We got separated when you got sucked into this parallel dimension. Well, technically, you were being sucked into hell, and Pete saved you and took you here, but I couldn't get you back because it would tear a hole in the universe…" he stopped when he noticed that both women were staring at him, mouths open.

Martha covered her mouth with one manicured hand. She fake-coughed. "Nutter!"

He made a face at her. "Rose, please tell me you remember the beach in Norway."

She turned paler. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Rose!"

"I said I don't know what you're talking about!" she snapped. "Now I don't know what your problem is, but you need to leave now. My fiance's going to be here any minute and he's very jealous and plays rugby."

"Oh, Mickey does not and did you say fiancé? Don't tell me you're marrying Mickey the Idiot." He ignored the fact that his heart sank by even saying the words.

"No, I'm not. Mickey's not an idiot!"

Martha snorted. "He's not a genius, either."

Rose ignored her. "I'm not marrying Mickey, I'm marrying Martin."

The Doctor frowned. "Who's Martin?"

"My brother," Martha piped up.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" The Doctor asked.

"You're the one we don't know hassling us," Rose snapped.

He stared at her. She really didn't know him.

He sighed. "No damage done to the universe, none at all. Except the one person I need has amnesia." He held his hands up as Rose started to say something else. "I'm going. I'll find some other way to fix the TARDIS. I hope you're happy." He smiled. "You look like you are. I hope you'll find happiness with this Marvin bloke because you deserve it."

"M-Martin," she stammered, staring at him. "What did you say?"

"You deserve to be happy." His hearts hurt, but it was true. Maybe amnesia was the universe's way of making sure Rose moved on.

"No, before that. Fix the TARDIS?" Her eyes looked vacant. "I looked into it and it looked it me." She focused on him. "But what does that mean? Do you know?"

Or maybe it was fallout from the TARDIS ripping a hole in the universe to get here. He took a step toward her. "Rose…"

Her friend stood up. "Enough of this nutter. We're going. Come on, Rose." She grabbed Rose by the arm and drug her off, even as Rose stared back at him, looking lost. "Your bachelorette party's at the Revolver tonight, and this'll be the last thing on your mind."

The Doctor nodded. "The Revolver. Right."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Three**:

"I think you're at the wrong club." The bouncer looked down his massive bulk at the Doctor.

"No, I'm not, mate." Since telling the bouncer that he was on the list wasn't working, usually there was always a John Smith on any sort of list, the Doctor fished around in his pocket for the psychic paper. Praying whatever time vortex fallout that had taken out the sonic screwdriver and Rose's memory hadn't ruined the psychic on the paper as well, the Doctor held out the notebook to the bouncer and hoped it worked.

The bouncer's eyes widened. "Why didn't you say something earlier? We'd about given up on you!"

"Never give up on me," the Doctor said, wondering exactly what the paper said.

The bouncer ushered him inside and toward the back rooms. "What you say your name was?"

"John Smith."

"Not that, your other name!"

"The Doctor?" he said, confused.

The bouncer frowned. "Not terribly original, but it's your gimmick, innit?"

"That's right!" the Doctor agreed cheerfully.

"Captain Jack's up next, but you're on after."

"Stage? Next for what?"

The bouncer ignored him. "Thank God you showed. There's a few bachelorette parties tonight, and the crowd's a little wild. You tell them the featured performer's out and there's no telling what they'll do."

"What? What?"

The bouncer opened a dressing room door, and Captain Jack Harkness stepped out. "Jack, there you are. This here's John Smith, 'The Doctor.'"

Captain Jack gave the Doctor the onceover. "Shouldn't you have a lab coat or a stethoscope or something?"

"Someone nicked 'em?" The Doctor couldn't help but stare at Jack. He was dressed in a silver Speedo and boots with a fake ray gun holstered to his side. He looked like a '60s version of a spaceman, but considerably less dressed.

"That's rotten luck," Jack shook his head. "I think someone else who used the doctor gimmick left some props backstage, you should go check 'em out."

The Doctor stepped closer. "Jack, what are you doing here? Are you my Jack or Pete's World Jack?"

Jack grinned. "I think I'd remember if I was ever _your_ Jack, even if I was a little drunk. You'll have to refresh my memory, 'Doctor.'"

The Doctor shook his head. "Never mind. You're either not him or suffering from the same amnesia as Rose."

"Well, if you change your mind." Jack clapped his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "And if you need any help with your costume, you let me know." He winked at him and turned and headed onstage.

"Let's give a warm welcome to Captain Jack, the Spaceman!" an announcer crowed. "He's out of this world!"

Women screamed and went crazy as Jack danced around on stage collecting pounds and shedding what little clothes he had by the minute.

"It's a strip club," the Doctor muttered. Then he caught sight of who was sitting at the rowdiest table, stirring her fancy drink glumly and not looking at all caught up by the atmosphere.

Rose.

He had to talk to her, get her to at least believe that he wasn't a nutter long enough to tell the TARDIS to get out of here before they caused more damage.

But should he even try to leave this parallel dimension? Wouldn't that cause even more damage? Better maybe to just continue his travels here, in this plane of existence, and see what wonders he could find.

Alone.

He cast his eyes back to Rose, remembering her tears on the beach as they said their goodbyes, as she said the words that seemed to stick in his throat.

The song ended, and he saw Jackie Tyler stand up and wave Jack over. She held up some money and he nodded and motioned toward a back room. Rose's entourage laughed and started pushing her toward the room, despite her protests.

Jack came off the stage, counting the money, and hardly noticed the Doctor step in front of him.

"Hey, you'd better get ready, you're up next," Jack said. "Or is that your outfit?"

"Where's that blonde woman going? The one whose group was practically stuffing their salaries down your pants?"

Jack laughed. "Oh, the blushing bride. Her friends bought her a private dance with yours truly. Just her and me." He winked. "Maybe I'll get to kiss the bride before the groom does."

"Where's these private dance rooms?"

"Toward the back, in behind the bar."

"Thanks," the Doctor said and punched Jack in the face, knocking him out. He shook his hand, sore from the impact. "Ow. That's why violence isn't the answer."

Rose's party must have went back out to watch the action or been buying drinks at the bar, because the only person loitering outside the rooms was Jackie Tyler. The Doctor tensed, waiting for her to recognize him.

"You, erm, ordered the private dance?" the Doctor asked.

She looked at him, a frown on her face, that erased when she saw him. "Yes, with that Captain Jack bloke. It's not for me, it's for my daughter. I'm happily married," she said, thrusting a huge rock of a ring in his face. "But she should have all the fun while she still can." She laughed.

"Yes, well, Jack had an emergency and had to leave rather abruptly, but he asked me to fill in and here I am, so…"

"You supposed to be a professor or something?" Jackie asked, looking him over.

"Doctor, actually."

"You don't look much like a Doctor. Or a dancer."

"Well, I am! Both actually. Why does everyone assume I can't dance?" he asked, irritated.

"You're easy on the eyes, though, aren't you?" Jackie said, with a flirty smile. "If I wasn't already married…"

"But you are, so I'll just go in a see your daughter, shall I?" the Doctor said quickly, and opened the door and closed it behind him quickly.

Rose was sitting on a couch facing a small stage, holding another drink and looking bored.

"Look, let's just get this over with, I'm not in the mood…" she trailed off, seeing him. "Oh! It's you!"

"Yes, and your mother just flirted with me! Wish I could get amnesia to forget that bit." He clapped his hands together. "Now, Rose, I know you think I'm a bit off, but if you'll just listen to me for a moment…"

"How did you get here? You're not a dancer, are you? Did you follow me? I'm calling for security," she said, reaching for the phone.

"You looked into the TARDIS and the TARDIS looked into you," he said quickly. Her hand froze over the phone. "You're connected now. The temperal radiation, anyone who travels in the TARDIS receives a bit of it, it buggered up with this new hole in the universe, which is why none of you remember me, but you, you're connected to the TARDIS, and you have it, a tiny glimpse, a tiny memory of me and her, of being the Bad Wolf." He saw her features pale. "Rose, look at me. Look at me and remember, somewhere deep inside, you still do. You know this life and marrying Melvin Whatshisname isn't what you want."

"Martin Jones. And how do you know that? I've never told anyone that."

"It's because I know you."

"You know me. Right. Great line." She nodded, looking really upset. "You almost had me believing you. Just because I had dreams of monsters and robots and aliens…next thing you'll tell me you had two different faces."

"I did! Well, more than two, actually."

She frowned. "Fine. You want me to believe you? Tell me all about me and how you fit into all of this."

"Alright."

She leaned forward and pushed a button and music started playing. "While dancing."

He stared at her. "W-What?"

"My mum and my mates paid for me to get a private dance. You want to talk? Start dancing. Otherwise I'm calling security."

He stared at Rose helplessly. "Come off it, you're not really going to make me…"

Her hand went back to the phone.

"Alright!" He silently thanked the fates that he always wore multiple layers of clothing this time around. The CD player switched to a new song. He frowned, listening to Freddy Mercury croon the opening, _Tonight I'm going to have myself a real good time_…

"Queen?" he said.

"I won't stop you now," she said, and motioned for him to continue. "And do it properly, or I'll call security."

He moved a bit, sliding the long coat down and whirling it around him like a cape. "We met back when I was in my last regeneration. I looked different then, older, with stick-out ears and liked to wear jumpers and leather jackets. I've gotten better looking in this generation."

"So you're what? A mutant or something?"

"Alien," he corrected, actually starting to move in time with music. "Timelord."

She looked pointedly for him to continue, and he unbuttoned his jacket, sliding it off slowly this time, with a bit more flair, and giving it a toss across the room.

"I travel in the TARDIS, through time and space. You looked into the time vortex when you were trying to rescue me from the Daleks."

"They say, 'Exterminate.'"

"That's right!" He untied the tie as he did a slow twirl and then tossed it to her. She caught it out of the air. "We traveled all through time and space, meeting all sorts of beings. We went to the 1950s and fought the Wire, we saved Madame Du Pompadour."

"You snogged Madame Du Pompadour," she said darkly.

"You remember a lot for someone who has forgotten everything."

"And you're talking instead of dancing."

"You got taken from me when were saving the world from the Daleks and the Cybermen. They were being sucked into the void, which is an interpretation of hell, and we had to close the gateway between this world and the one you came from. I did mention this was a parallel dimension, right?" He deliberately unbuckled his belt and tossed it away, not knowing how much longer he could stall before shedding important layers of clothing.

"I think earlier, yes," she said, still watching him.

"The void was sucking you in, and Pete Tyler, your dad saved you and brought you here to this world. But I couldn't come here to get you because of the damage it could do to the fabric of reality." He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, button by button, all while watching her watching him.

"And yet here you are."

"This is starting to get a bit sexy, isn't?"

"More than a bit." She bit one fingernail, watching as he slid his hands over his long, lean body.

"Didn't expect that," he said, untucking his t-shirt from his pinstripe pants, letting her catch a glimpse of his well-defined stomach, whipping it off, enjoying her sharp intake of breath.

"Keep talking," she said, sitting up.

Something intense was passing between them. He took a deep breath, not taking his eyes from hers as he advanced toward her. "We had to say goodbye on a beach in Norway. I was just a projection, so I couldn't touch you. I never got the chance…" his voice caught.

"To what?" she asked, on her feet and moving toward him as well.

"To say…"

"Yes?"

He was close enough now to reach out and touch her. "It doesn't matter now, you have a fiancé. You're happy."

"No, I'm not. I'm miserable." A tear trickled down her cheek. "You say you know me so well, you can't tell that I'm just passing time, filling my life with people that don't even matter, just to have someone close by? Someone who won't leave me? I'm haunted by the feeling of losing something that meant the world to me, but I don't remember…"

His face softened. "Rose Tyler, I think you need a Doctor." He leaned forward, tipping her chin up, and kissed her.

Her eyes slowly opened as his lips left hers. "Oh, my God," she breathed. She seemed to gain focus. "Oh, my God! You're here! You're finally here!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. She pulled back, looking confused. "Remind me, why were you stripping?"

He gathered her up in a big hug. "It doesn't matter. You're back, I'm back, all's right with the universe."

"Back to stay," she agreed.

"Too right."

They stared at each other for a long moment. Then as if a silent communication had urged them to go for it, they met in a passionate kiss. They toppled back onto the couch behind them.

The door flew open and the two froze, the Doctor still on top of Rose, half-clothed.

"Oh, my God!" Jackie Tyler shrieked, standing there in the doorway with the bouncer, and Jack, who was still holding his nose. "He's molesting my daughter! Stop him!"

"For God's sake, mum, he's not molesting me, he's the Doctor!" Rose said indignantly.

"She doesn't remember me, you didn't up until a few moments ago," the Doctor said.

"Seems like you're getting reacquainted pretty easy," Jack said.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other and then scrambled up, the Doctor grabbing his t-shirt up and jamming it on quickly.

"Really, Rose, I took you out to have fun tonight and blow off some steam before your wedding, not to shag a stripper."

"Please, Mum, he's not a stripper!"

"And we didn't shag!"

"Because you barged in," Rose grumbled.

"You're not helping," the Doctor said to her.

"Mate, you're going to have to come with me," the bouncer said.

"See, the thing about that is," The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and bolted for the door, knocking Jackie and Jack over.

Rose's laugh was music to his ears.

**Chapter Four**:

"Ask and ye shall receive," the Doctor announced as he entered the TARDIS, hand-in-hand with Rose. "One Rose Tyler, in the flesh." He turned to her. "Now have some girl talk with the TARDIS so we can get out of here. She refused to move until she saw you. Ruddy machines are getting more and more tempermental. First they want certain people in their presence, the next they're sending scouts to scan the brain of a French aristocrat."

"All roads lead back to Madame Du Pompadour with you, don't they?" Rose said.

He smiled. "Jealous?"

"You were going to stay forever with her and leave me on that spaceship, so yeah, I am a bit."

"And you were going to marry a rugby player named Meldrake."

"Martin! And the very fact that you refuse to acknowledge his name just shows how jealous you are." Rose tapped a few keys on the TARDIS console. "She seems content now, all systems are in working order as far as I can tell."

He looked over her shoulder. "Isn't that bloody amazing."

She glanced back at him. "I like you in the more casual look."

He looked down at his t-shirt and pants. "Well, I had to leave half of my clothes behind thanks to someone."

She smiled. "A hole in the universe, a few missing clothes, what's it matter as long as we're back together?"

He smiled back. "Quite right. We can't go back to our world, but there's a lot of this one out there to explore. What do you say? Are you game?"

"Always." She leaned up to him and he caught her around the waist, to kiss her, leaning her back against the TARDIS console, even as she wound her arms around his neck. The TARDIS beeped in protest.

He glanced over at the monitor. "What? You wanted her back, you'll just have to get used to this."

A screen of Gallifreyan ran across.

"And we're not shagging on the console!"

"Yet," Rose amended, reaching around him to shut off the monitor. "We're not shagging on the console yet."


	3. Sequel Note

You say you want a sequel?

If you don't mind adult content, then go check out "Revving the Engines," a sequel to this story. It's on here, but if for some reason you can't find it, you can always check out my Live Journal account, amynthetardis DOT livejournal DOT com.

The TARDIS is happy that the Doctor and Rose are reunited, but now it needs something else, a bit of positive energy from the both of them. But now that the duo are back together, they find it impossible to keep their hands off of each other!

But like I said, it's got adult content, so you've been warned!


End file.
